DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s amendments and election without traverse is acknowledged.
Claims 1-18 remain pending in the current application.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 objected to because of the following informalities: claim 9 reads “the second electrical conductor is a coaxial cable permanently connected the second electrical contact” when it should read “the second electrical conductor is a coaxial cable permanently connected to the second electrical contact”.
Claim 15 appears to written in an independent form yet referring back to claim 1, which claim 15 may be construed as a dependent claim due to this referring back to the claim 1. If the applicant intends to have the claim 15 be interpreted as an independent claim, it is suggested that the entire claim 1 be brought in to the claim 15 in order to prevent any possible ambiguity.
Claim 17 objected to because of the following informalities: claim 17 reads “an video processing apparatus” when it should read “a video processing apparatus”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwaya (US 20220071473 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Iwaya teaches an endoscope ([abst] provided is an ultrasound endoscope)
comprising a handle ([0031] The ultrasound endoscope 12 has an insertion part 22 that is inserted into the body cavity of the subject, an operating part 24 that is consecutively provided in a proximal end portion of the insertion part 22 and is used by an operator to perform an operation, and a universal cord 26 that has one end connected to the operating part 24)
an insertion tube attached to the handle and comprising a distal end ([abst] insertion part that includes a distal end part)
an image capturing device supported by the distal end of the insertion tube ([abst] an insertion part that includes a distal end part having an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged)
an ultrasound transducer supported by the distal end of the insertion tube ([abst] an insertion part that includes a distal end part having an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged)
the ultrasound transducer comprising a convex ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements ([0052] The ultrasound transducer array 50 is configured with a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped ultrasound transducers 48 arranged in a convex arc shape outward)
a support structure having a convex upper surface facing the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements and extending in a direction parallel to a first axis ([0058] The backing material layer 54 has a role of mechanically and flexibly supporting the ultrasound transducer array 50; [0055] The ultrasound transducer array 50 has a configuration in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers 48 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in a one-dimensional array as an example. The ultrasound transducers 48 configuring the ultrasound transducer array 50 are arranged at regular intervals in a convex bent shape along an axial direction of the distal end part 40 (the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion part 22))
and an electrical circuit configured to receive and provide electrical signals to the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements ([abst] a substrate that electrically connects the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the cable, and is disposed in the distal end part)
the electrical circuit comprising a base section that is flexible and comprises a plurality of first electrical contacts ([0050] It is preferable that the substrate 60 is configured with, for example, a wiring substrate, such as a flexible substrate (flexible print substrate (also referred to as a flexible printed circuit (FPC)) having flexibility, a printed wiring circuit substrate (also referred to as a printed circuit board (PCB)) made of a rigid substrate having high rigidity with no flexibility, or a printed wiring substrate (also referred to as a printed wired board (PWB)))
each first electrical contact of the plurality of first electrical contacts connected to an ultrasound transducer element of the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements and extending along a central axis parallel to the first axis ([0054] The substrate 60 has 48 to 192 wirings (not shown) that are electrically connected to the individual electrodes 52a of the 48 to 192 ultrasound transducers 48, respectively, and a plurality of electrode pads 62 that are connected to the ultrasound transducers 48 through the wirings, respectively)
the base section arranged on the convex upper surface of the support structure (observe positioning of substrate 60 in fig. 3)
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a plurality of first electrical conductors, each first electrical conductor of the plurality of first electrical conductors electrically connected to a first electrical contact of the plurality of first electrical contacts ([0054] The substrate 60 has 48 to 192 wirings (not shown) that are electrically connected to the individual electrodes 52a of the 48 to 192 ultrasound transducers 48, respectively, and a plurality of electrode pads 62 that are connected to the ultrasound transducers 48 through the wirings, respectively)
and a contact section comprising a plurality of second electrical contacts, each second electrical contact of the plurality of second electrical contacts electrically connected to a first electrical conductor of the plurality of first electrical conductors and further electrically connected or connectable to a second electrical conductor or a transducer port of an ultrasound processing apparatus ([0054] The substrate 60 has 48 to 192 wirings (not shown) that are electrically connected to the individual electrodes 52a of the 48 to 192 ultrasound transducers 48, respectively, and a plurality of electrode pads 62 that are connected to the ultrasound transducers 48 through the wirings, respectively; [0062] the substrate 60 shown in FIG. 4 has, at one end, a plurality of electrode pads 62 that are electrically connected to a plurality of individual electrodes 52a, and a ground electrode pad 64 that is electrically connected to the transducer ground 52b)
wherein a first group of the plurality of first electrical conductors are bent around the support structure at a first curve section and a second group of the plurality of first electrical conductors are bent around the support structure at a second curve section the first curve section being separate from the second curve section ([0060] as a plurality of ultrasound transducers 48 are sequentially driven by an electronic switch, such as a multiplexer, scanning with ultrasonic waves is performed in a scanning range along a curved surface on which the ultrasound transducer array 50 is disposed, for example, a range of about several tens mm from the center of curvature of the curved surface; the transducers on the curved surface can be divided into different sections arbitrarily).
Regarding claim 2, Iwaya teaches the base section and the plurality of first flexible conductors are comprised in a single flexible printed circuit ([0050] It is preferable that the substrate 60 is configured with, for example, a wiring substrate, such as a flexible substrate (flexible print substrate (also referred to as a flexible printed circuit (FPC)) having flexibility, a printed wiring circuit substrate (also referred to as a printed circuit board (PCB)) made of a rigid substrate having high rigidity with no flexibility, or a printed wiring substrate (also referred to as a printed wired board (PWB))).
Regarding claim 3, Iwaya teaches wherein the support structure comprises a first side surface arranged in a plane perpendicular to the first axis, the first side surface connected to the convex upper surface, and wherein the first curve section is arranged along the connection between the convex upper surface and the first side surface ([0085] The first shield layer 118 is positioned on the substrate 60, and the substrate 60 and the first shield layer 118 overlap at least partially as viewed from a direction perpendicular to a principal surface of the substrate 60 (hereinafter, in plan view). The first cable bundle 116 is exposed only on the substrate 60, and the substrate 60 and the first cable bundle 116 overlap only on the substrate 60. The first cable bundle 116 does not protrude from the substrate 60, and thus, the whole first cable bundle 116 is superimposed on the substrate 60)
Regarding claim 4, Iwaya teaches the second curve section is arranged along the connection between the convex upper surface and the first side surface and divided from the first curve section by a gap ([0059] The filler layer 80 is a layer with which the internal space 55 between the exterior member 41 and the backing material layer 54 is filled, and has a role of fixing the substrate 60, the non-coaxial cables 110, and various wiring portions; the curved surface can be divided into sections arbitrarily, thus one of ordinary skill in the art could designate the second section as being related to the shield layer 118)
Regarding claim 5, Iwaya teaches the support structure comprises a concave lower surface opposite to the convex upper surface, the first side surface is connected to the concave lower surface, the gap extends along the entire first side of the support structure, and wherein the plurality of the first electrical conductors are further bent around the support structure at a third curve section and at a fourth curve section, the third curve section being separate from the fourth curve section by the gap, and wherein the third curve section and the fourth curve section are arranged along the connection between the first side surface and the concave lower surface ([0058] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the backing material layer 54 is disposed on an inside with respect to the arrangement surface of a plurality of ultrasound transducers 48, that is, a rear surface (lower surface) of the ultrasound transducer array 50. The backing material layer 54 is made of a layer of a member made of a backing material. The backing material layer 54 has a role of mechanically and flexibly supporting the ultrasound transducer array 50 and attenuating ultrasonic waves propagated to the backing material layer 54 side among ultrasound signals emitted from a plurality of ultrasound transducers 48 or reflected propagated from the observation target. For this reason, the backing material is made of a material having rigidity, such as hard rubber, and an ultrasonic wave attenuation material (ferrite, ceramics, or the like) is added as needed).
Regarding claim 6, Iwaya teaches the support structure comprises a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, the second side surface is arranged in a plane perpendicular to the first axis, the second side surface is connected to the convex upper surface, the second curve section is arranged along the connection between the convex upper surface and the second side surface, and wherein the first group of electrical conductors are bent around the first curve section and the second group of electrical conductors are bent around the second curve section ([0079] a second shield layer 108 between the outer coat 102 and the second cable bundle 104…[0084] a connection structure of the substrate 60 and the non-coaxial cables 110 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 5, on the proximal end side of the substrate 60, the resin layer 106 (not shown), the second shield layer 108 (not shown), and the outer coat 102 of the cable 100 are removed, and a plurality of non-coaxial cables 110 are exposed).
Regarding claim 7, Iwaya teaches the first group of electrical conductors is arranged, along a part of a length of the first group of electrical conductors, in a first plane, and the second group of electrical conductors is arranged, along a part of a length of the second group of electrical conductors, in a second plane, and wherein the first plane overlaps the second plane ([0085] The first shield layer 118 is positioned on the substrate 60, and the substrate 60 and the first shield layer 118 overlap at least partially as viewed from a direction perpendicular to a principal surface of the substrate 60 (hereinafter, in plan view). The first cable bundle 116 is exposed only on the substrate 60, and the substrate 60 and the first cable bundle 116 overlap only on the substrate 60. The first cable bundle 116 does not protrude from the substrate 60, and thus, the whole first cable bundle 116 is superimposed on the substrate 60).
Regarding claim 8, Iwaya teaches each of the plurality of second electrical contacts are connected to a second electrical conductor ([0070] each non-coaxial cable 110 has a plurality of signal wires 112 and a plurality of ground wires 114. Each signal wire 112 is made of, for example, a conductor 112a, and an insulating layer 112b with which the periphery of the conductor 112a is coated)
Regarding claim 10, Iwaya teaches each of the plurality of second electrical contacts is configured to be detachably connectable to a second electrical conductor or a transducer port of an ultrasound processing apparatus ([0033] In the other end portion of the universal cord 26, an ultrasound connector 32a that is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, an endoscope connector 32b that is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, and a light source connector 32c that is connected to the light source device 18 are provided. The ultrasound endoscope 12 are attachably and detachably connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, the endoscope processor device 16, and the light source device 18 respectively through the connectors 32a, 32b, and 32c).
Regarding claim 11, Iwaya teaches wherein the first electrical contacts are positioned between the convex upper surface of the support structure and the ultrasound transducer elements (observe how substrate and transducers are configured in fig. 3)
wherein the support structure comprises a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface, the first side surface connected to the convex upper surface the second side surface connected to the convex upper surface, the first curve section arranged along the connection between the convex upper surface and the first side surface, the second curve section arranged along the connection between the convex upper surface and the second side surface, the first group of the plurality of first electrical conductors extending at least partially along the first side surface, and the second group of the plurality of first electrical conductors extending at least partially along the second side surface ([0069] The cable 100 is disposed at a position facing the side 60a of the substrate 60. The cable 100 comprises a plurality of non-coaxial cables 110, and the outer coat 102 that covers a plurality of non-coaxial cables 110. The electrode pads 62 and signal wires 112 of the non-coaxial cables 110 are electrically bonded. The non-coaxial cables 110 are disposed in parallel with a side 60b and a side 60c perpendicular to the side 60a. Note that a positional relationship between the substrate 60 and the non-coaxial cables 110 is not particularly limited; it is known that the features listed in fig. 5 and described in the previous citation are connected to the substrate and as a result connected to the curved surface as well)
Regarding claim 12, Iwaya teaches a first flexible cable extending from the handle and being electrically connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements via the electrical circuit of the ultrasound transducer ([abst] a cable that is inserted into the insertion part, and a substrate that electrically connects the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the cable, and is disposed in the distal end part. The cable has a non-coaxial cable that includes a first cable bundle consisting of a plurality of signal wires and a plurality of ground wires, and a first shield layer with which the first cable bundle is coated, and an outer coat with which a second cable bundle consisting of a plurality of the non-coaxial cables is coated. The substrate includes a plurality of electrode pads connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers, respectively)
Regarding claim 13, Iwaya teaches the first flexible cable is connectable to an ultrasound processing apparatus and configured to provide the ultrasound processing apparatus with electrical signals generated by the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements ([abst] a cable that is inserted into the insertion part, and a substrate that electrically connects the plurality of ultrasound transducers; [0033] In the other end portion of the universal cord 26, an ultrasound connector 32a that is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, an endoscope connector 32b that is connected to the endoscope processor device 16).
Regarding claim 14, Iwaya teaches a second flexible cable extending from the handle and being electrically connected to the image capturing device via the electrical circuit of the ultrasound transducer ([0008] a second cable bundle consisting of a plurality of the non-coaxial cables; [0033] In the other end portion of the universal cord 26, an ultrasound connector 32a that is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, an endoscope connector 32b that is connected to the endoscope processor device 16; observe how cord 26 is coupled to operating portion 24 in fig. 1; furthermore it is understood that all the cables of the plurality of cables flow through the universal cord)
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Regarding claim 15, Iwaya teaches an ultrasound processing apparatus, wherein the first flexible cable is connectable to the ultrasound processing apparatus ([0033] In the other end portion of the universal cord 26, an ultrasound connector 32a that is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, an endoscope connector 32b that is connected to the endoscope processor device 16)
Regarding claim 16, Iwaya teaches the first flexible cable is further configured to receive electrical signals from the image capturing device and provide the received electrical signals to the ultrasound processing apparatus ([0033] In the other end portion of the universal cord 26, an ultrasound connector 32a that is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14, an endoscope connector 32b that is connected to the endoscope processor device 16)
and wherein the ultrasound processing apparatus comprises one or more processing units configured to process both the signals received from the ultrasound transducer and the signals received from the image capturing device ([0036] The ultrasound processor device 14 generates and supplies an ultrasound signal for making an ultrasound transducer array 50 of an ultrasound transducer unit 46 (see FIG. 2) of the ultrasound observation part 36 described below generate an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasound processor device 14 receives and acquires an echo signal reflected from an observation target part irradiated with the ultrasonic wave, by the ultrasound transducer array 50 and executes various kinds of signal processing on the acquired echo signal to generate an ultrasound image that is displayed on the monitor 20)
Regarding claim 17, Iwaya teaches a video processing apparatus (monitor 20)
and a second flexible cable (universal cord 26) configured to receive electrical signals from the image capturing device and provide the received electrical signals to the video processing apparatus ([0036] The ultrasound processor device 14 generates and supplies an ultrasound signal for making an ultrasound transducer array 50 of an ultrasound transducer unit 46 (see FIG. 2) of the ultrasound observation part 36 described below generate an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasound processor device 14 receives and acquires an echo signal reflected from an observation target part irradiated with the ultrasonic wave, by the ultrasound transducer array 50 and executes various kinds of signal processing on the acquired echo signal to generate an ultrasound image that is displayed on the monitor 20).
Regarding claim 18, Iwaya teaches a printed flexible electrical circuit comprising a flexible base section comprising a plurality of first electrical contacts ([0050] It is preferable that the substrate 60 is configured with, for example, a wiring substrate, such as a flexible substrate (flexible print substrate (also referred to as a flexible printed circuit (FPC)) having flexibility, a printed wiring circuit substrate (also referred to as a printed circuit board (PCB)) made of a rigid substrate having high rigidity with no flexibility, or a printed wiring substrate (also referred to as a printed wired board (PWB)))
each first electrical contact being connectable to an ultrasound transducer element for providing and receiving electrical signals to/from the ultrasound transducer element and extending along a central axis parallel to a first axis, a plurality of first flexible conductors, each first flexible electrical conductor being electrically connected to a first electrical contact and a contact section comprising a plurality of second electrical contacts, each second electrical contact being electrically connected to a first electrical conductor and further electrical connected or connectable to a second electrical conductor or a transducer port of an ultrasound processing apparatus ([0054] The substrate 60 has 48 to 192 wirings (not shown) that are electrically connected to the individual electrodes 52a of the 48 to 192 ultrasound transducers 48, respectively, and a plurality of electrode pads 62 that are connected to the ultrasound transducers 48 through the wirings, respectively)
wherein the plurality of first flexible conductors is bendable around a support structure at a first curve section and at a second curve section, the first curve section being separate from the second curve section ([0060] as a plurality of ultrasound transducers 48 are sequentially driven by an electronic switch, such as a multiplexer, scanning with ultrasonic waves is performed in a scanning range along a curved surface on which the ultrasound transducer array 50 is disposed, for example, a range of about several tens mm from the center of curvature of the curved surface; the transducers on the curved surface can be divided into different sections arbitrarily)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwaya as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Henneken (US 20170209898 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Iwaya teaches the second electrical conductor is permanently connected the second electrical contact ([0025] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a connection relationship between a plurality of ultrasound transducers and a plurality of non-coaxial cables)
Iwaya fails to teach a coaxial cable.
However, Henneken teaches a coaxial cable ([0012] The present invention seeks to provide a coaxial wire assembly that can be connected to such an ultrasound transducer assembly in a straightforward manner)
Iwaya and Henneken are considered analogous because both disclose configurations of ultrasound transducer probes. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the pending application to use coaxial cables in order to provide the ultrasound transducer cells with control signals and to process the response signals, as well as passive components such as decoupling capacitors that for instance protect the various circuits from fluctuations in the supply voltage, e.g. supply bounce, which can be caused by the power consumption behaviour some of the components, in particular the ASICs (Henneken [0009]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL VICTOR POPESCU whose telephone number is (571)272-7065. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anne Kozak can be reached at (571) 270-0552. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL VICTOR POPESCU/ Examiner, Art Unit 3797
/JOSEPH M SANTOS RODRIGUEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
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